The Lady's Manor
by iwantyourmuffins
Summary: When the daughter of a noble finds herself getting feelings for one of the butlers, she has to either learn how to move on from him, or find a way to make him a part of her life. (Rated M for mature content in the future chapters)
1. Chapter I: Daydream

_[This is my first ever Fanfiction story. The story is original, a partner having helped me to write it out. Please leave comments so that I may improve on my writing technique in the future chapters.]_

Freedom, there was many a time where she thought and dreamt of freedom; not that she was lacking in personal freedom. No, she lived a life of luxury, being born of noble blood, of wealthy, noble blood at that; her life surrounded by men and woman bending at her will. Despite all the luxuries that she had in the palm of her hand, she longed for the one thing she could not possess, the freedom of choice; to walk her own path, to plan her own life rather than follow the directions of others. She dreamt of living in a home that she wanted, with a man that she married because she loved him, not because it had been asked of her. That dream, seemed beyond her reach as crystal blue eyes stared off at the cloudy skies.

" _Lady Catherine!?_ " a voice shattered her daydream as long lashes fluttered while her mind focused on the real world that still kept moving while her mind wandered. She tilted her head back, looking up at the figure who stood before her and finding her breath catching in her throat. Amber eyes stared down at her with mild concern and slight aggravation. They were the eyes of Charles Selvic, one of the butlers that worked around the estate. Though Catherine's expression remained unreadable her heart fluttered and mind panicked as the male's eyes captivated every portion of her thought process.

 _"Hmmm? Charles… What's wrong_?" Catherine's voice wavered slightly due to nervousness. She couldn't lie to herself, she'd had a massive crush on Charles since he first began working at the estate; she couldn't understand why, but figured it was probably due to the fact that he was the only male around that was somewhat close to her age. Not only that but he seemed to understand her, knowing when she's upset and bringing her what would make her feel better; it was either a sign that he had learned to understand her, or, he was just being a very proactive butler.

" _I've been calling your name for a while now, You had me worried Catherine_ " his tone, though respectful, was slightly condescending, though she didn't note that. What she noted was the slight mistake in his speech as he'd forgotten to address her by her proper title as Lady. That fact that he had used just her surname had a strange effect on her, making her feel oddly satisfied, as if she was glad he didn't see her as just his master's daughter.

Charles was not the head butler at the estate, that position belonged to Claude Faust, a cold man who put duty before anything else. Unlike most of the other servants and maids in the estate, Charles had been raised there, having never known his father and having a mother who lived in a whore house made it an easy choice for Henry Lafeuvre, Catherine's father, to bring Charles under his wing. The Lafeuvre family were very high in nobility, and as such, Catherine's hand was sought after by the lower class nobilities. She'd just turned 20 and her mother continuously asked about her meeting some suitors but Catherine expertly avoided those conversations until her father backed her mother up.

" _I'm sorry Charles… I was daydreaming_ " she whispered the last part that referred to daydreaming almost inaudibly, almost as if she didn't want him to know. She looked down at the now lukewarm tea that was nestled into the palm of her dainty hands and frowned; having let the jasmine tea go to waste. She put the China down on the table with a soft clink as the glass connected with the plate of the same make. A bored sigh escaped her painted red lips before she looked up at Charles once more, only to see curiosity shining in those gorgeous golden orbs. She could never bring herself to talk about what the subject of her daydreams were, afraid of being scolded for having such thoughts; she settled to remain forced into a life she did not wish to live.

She stood from the table that was nestled in the garden and looked around to the pathway that lead inside; she'd spent a lot of time outside so assumed it would be time for the evening meal. She excused herself in a polite manner before heading inside, mentally preparing herself for the suitor talk she was most likely going to receive from Lady Adelaide, her mother, and Lord Henry, her father. She finally arrived in her room, the curtains drawn to illuminate the room to show off the scarlet and gold colors scheme that she adored so much. Her steps were quiet and thoughtful as she walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a formal dress, the black satin feeling cool against her fingers as she laid it down on the bed and stripped out of the light blue dress she'd worn for the midday meal.

As she was changing, Catherine found that her mind began to wander, thinking about the tanned brown eyes, and the concern that made them catch the light so spectacularly. After a few minutes she shook her head, realizing she'd been standing there staring at the ebony dress while her brain teased the idea of her and Charles together. Catherine mentally scolded herself for such thoughts, he was the family butler and she was to wed some noble of another family, society would never approve of such a relationship; but in all fairness, she cared very little about what society thought.

She finally put her thoughts on getting dressed, pulling the silky dress over her skin before heading to the Vanity and bringing her hair up into a bun to keep it out of her face as she ate. When she found herself to be presentable she turned and made her way out the room, trying her best to focus her thoughts as to not daydream about the butler during diner. She found her way to the dining hall and the double doors opened for her as she stepped into the well lit room to find out which direction her life was going to go.


	2. Chapter II: Crimson Hair

_[This is the second chapter of the Lady's manor, I will continue to try and update in a timely manner. But forgive me if I make a few mistakes. please leave reviews so I may better my writing for the future. Thank you again]_

The double doors made no sound as they swung open simultaneously, revealing the beauty of the room within. A spectacular crystal chandelier adorned the room with a spectrum of colors, a wall of lanterns created a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The table was beautifully decorated with the most lavish and expensive of tableware; an arrangements of roses from the gardens sat in a porcelain vase which created an astounding center piece for the table.

Standing off to the side, a figure caught Catherine's eye as she recognized the male to be Claude, his condescending look glistening behind a pair of spectacles. To Catherine, Claude was like glass; transparent, smooth, flawless and COLD. Claude wasn't the kindest of people in the estate, in fact out of everyone who was in the building at the moment he was probably the lowest on her list of people she liked. Unfortunately he's was deadly efficient as his job, almost too good though it must have been from years of working as a butler that this perfection came from. Catherine had no doubts in her mind that Claude had most likely created the rose center piece, since everything was so perfectly aligned and there wasn't one spot that seemed over or underwhelmed of roses, the perfect balance.

On the other side of the room HE was there, his attire as usual was on point, all the way down to the button up tailcoat. Not a single hair on his crimson head was out of place; she couldn't help but admire the way it fell in the most perfect way, it was done in a way that it could look sloppy if one strand was out of place. She swallowed hard and tore her gaze away from Charles to focus back on those seated around the table; her mother and father waiting patiently for her to take a seat and dinner be presented to them.

" _Apologies for my tardiness, my mind is elsewhere today_ " she spoke her apology with a nod of her head in an apologetic way. Her mother cocked a brow as her father gave a deft nod before indicating for her to take a seat, which she gladly obliged. The moment she was seated Claude cleared his throat and announced the nights meal. When the announcement was done Catherine looked down at the beef carpaccio and did her best not to make a face; she wasn't too fond of raw beef, so ignored the protein and went to picking at the steamed vegetables. She ate at a slow rate, putting her fork down between bites to truly taste the food; when she'd had her fill of vegetables she looked to the glass of tea that sat next to her plate and smiled as the scent of Jasmine wafted around the topaz liquid. She brought the edge of the glass to her lips and took a sip of the steeped tea and felt warmth blossom in her. She couldn't help but smile since she knew Charles had made the tea due to the fact that he always made the tea while Claude prepared the table arrangements; he always made the tea perfect to her tastes, never too strong and never too sweet, allowing the herbal drink to linger on the tongue that was most pleasing to her senses. Catherine found there to be a subtle hint of acai berry in the tea, which in her mind was a wonderful accompaniment to the flavour.

The conversation around the table revolved around her father's work, finding herself drifting in and out of the conversation since she really found no reason to take interest in the trades across the sea since her father never expected her to precede him. She knit her fingers together and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and leaning her chin on the intertwined fingers as her mind slowly tiptoed back to the thought of those golden irises, framed by silky crimson locks. Catherine and Charles were the only ones in the estate with crimson hair, she wondered if it was a rare quality to get but still found him to be very attractive with the redness in his hair.

" _Catherine… Catherine!_ " her father's voice calling her name broke her from her thoughts as she blinked to focus her mind on the present situation. Both Lady Adelaide and Lord Henry were looking at her intently, to the point where her cheek warmed as a rosey blush coated her cheeks.

" _I-I'm sorry…_ " she stuttered softly and looked down at the tea that she still clasped in both hands.

" _You've hardly touched your food Catherine…_ " Lady Adelaide stated in a concerned tone as Catherine looked down at her half eaten plate of food and nodded softly " _Do you not enjoy the Carpaccio_?"

" _No. It's nothing to do with that, I just don't quite like the idea of eating raw meat_ " Catherine's soft spoken voice making her seem like a little mouse in her personality. Her eyes darting over to Claude, and as she expected, a condescending look stared at her; the frown that was etched on his lips was enough to make her regret having voiced her opinion.

" _Either way… Catherine_ " her father began, using his serious tone which made the next subject blatantly obvious to her. The Lord Henry was a very predictable man, his tone alone could alert someone of the upcoming subjects that would be discussed during the conversation. " _You need to start looking into what your mother is suggesting_ "

" _And I assume mother brought up the subject of suitors again_ " she spoke exasperatedly and her father's eyes narrowed at the attitude he received from her. From the corner of her eyes Catherine noted the slight shift in Charles' posture at the mention of suitors; her mind thinking up one hundred reasons as to why it would bother him.

" _Look… I will be honest with you. I don't wish to be married off. At least not to someone I barely know. And if I do marry, I want it to be someone who I love and that can love me back._ " she spoke in a firm tone, the little barn mouse from before gone as she stood her ground, not wanting to have to put up with being told how to live her life.

" _That is why I suggested the suitors spend a week here to try and win your hand Catherine._ " Lady Adelaide added in as Catherine's eyes went to her mother, trying to think of an argument against it but coming up short as she clearly couldn't fight the unstoppable. Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she gave a slight nod, unable to argue with such an offer.

" _If I may… I would like to make one more request_ " her tone was pensive, clearly thinking out a way to at least delay the inevitable as both her parents looked to her with studious looks. " _If I may visit our vacation home out by the lake before meeting the suitors_ "

" _Very well then._ " Lord Henry chided softly and Catherine's smile grew "but I suggest you leave as soon as possible, since we will be trying to get the suitors to come by the end of the month" he informed her and she stiffened briefly. That was a little under three weeks away, was this life changing decision being pushed onto her so quickly..? She nodded gratefully to her father and mother and stood, excusing herself from the table to begin packing, horror creeping through her veins that her life was about to change drastically in less than a year's time. She got back to her room and began packing, little to her knowledge, that back in the dining hall, Lord Henry was asking Charles to accompany Catherine on her trip as her personal butler since all their servants were at the estate not the vacation manor.


End file.
